Software Development Challenges with Air-Gap Isolation

While existing research has explored the trade-off between security and performance, these efforts primarily focus on software consumers and often overlook the effectiveness and productivity of software producers. In this paper, we highlight an established security practice, air-gap isolation, and some challenges it uniquely instigates. To better understand and start quantifying the impacts of air-gap isolation on software development productivity, we conducted a survey at a commercial software company: Analytical Graphics, Inc. Based on our insights of dealing with air-gap isolation daily, we suggest some possible directions for future research. Our goal is to bring attention to this neglected area of research and to start a discussion in the SE community about the struggles faced by many commercial and governmental organizations.